The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Innovation
Speakers put technology in spotlight
Technological innovations which could help Scotland’s farmers create more profitable and sustainable businesses are set to come under the spotlight at two conferences this month.
The Farming Scotland conference in Carnoustie on February 8 will give farmers a glimpse into the future of food production by showcasing some of the world-leading innovations being developed and used in the UK.
Delegates will hear from one of the cocreators of Hands-free Hectare, an innovative project by Harper Adams University and Precision Decisions which saw them grow the world’s first arable crop remotely.
Kit Franklin, agricultural engineering lecturer at Harper Adams, will explain how the team developed the equipment, tools and techniques to produce the crop of spring barley, what they learned along the way, and the implications for farming in future.
“The Hands Free Hectare project is the first step in breaking down technological barriers to automated field agriculture,” Mr Franklin will tell delegates.
“We anticipate that automation will facilitate a sustainable system where multiple smaller, lighter machines, will enter the field, minimising the level of soil compaction, while facilitating high resolution precision farming, optimising and potentially reducing the inputs being used infield agriculture”.
Mr Franklin will share the stage with other speakers including former NFU Scotland president and East Lothian arable and beef farmer John Kinnard, who was appointed the Government’s Agriculture and Sustainability Champion in 2017.
Mr Kinnard will speak about sustainable farming systems and what they could look like in Scotland and what input he is having in driving the sustainability debate with policy makers.
He will be joined by Essex farmer Chris Newenham, managing director of Wilkin and Sons, the company behind the famous Tiptree jam brand.
He will talk about the company’s approach of combining traditional business skills with cutting-edge technology, including growing fruit under glass using two-tier systems to maximise space and productivity.
Colin Campbell, chief executive of the James Hutton Institute, will talk about the latest research and technological developments being led by the centre, and their potential impacts on Scotland’s farming future.
Later this month, at the Scottish Agronomy Conference in Perth, farmers will learn about new technologies which are driving efficient and innovative crop production.
Managing director, Andrew Gilchrist, said uncertainty around Brexit meant that it was vital Scottish producers had the tools they need to prepare for any challenges the sector may face.
He said: “It is not Scottish Agronomy’s role to delve into the politics, but to try and ensure that our members are supplied with the most up to date information to ensure crop production is carried out as efficiently as possible.
“It is going to get trickier to produce efficient crops with the impending loss of so many pesticides, so we have to look elsewhere for solutions.”
Jon Knight, AHDB’S head of crop health and protection, will tell delegates about the future of crop protection chemistry; Bill Thomas, head of cell and molecular sciences at the James Hutton Institute, will talk about the advances in barley breeding and genetics; Bob King, commercial director of Crisp Malting Group in Norfolk, will discuss the challenges facing the malting barley industry; and Jenna Ross of Aberdeen University will talk about research on bio-pesticides.